Silver: The Upscale Diner That’ll Blow Your Mind

Who says eating clean can’t be delish? If you’re looking to nourish your body with wholesome food that slays, head on over to Silver STAT. Located on 7150 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, MD, it’s right next to Crescent Trail garage, which is free on late nights and weekends [insert fist pump]. We went for lunch on a weekday so we obviously had to pay, but it was only $1 an hour (!!!!) #DreamsDoComeTrue #ParkingHeaven #HowIsThisGarageReal #WeLikeHashtags #ALOT #DontHate #OkWereDone. In all seriousness though, $1 an hour for parking? Un-freaking-real. DC/MD garages can get ridiculous, like we’ve paid $20+ for spots so this straight up blew our minds. We’re planning on hitting this joint on the regular so it’s good to know that we have a convenient place to park.

Anywho, let’s move onto the nom portion of our review since you’re probably dying to see some foodporn. We started our meal off with two fresh pressed juices, and they were both SUPER yum. The Green Giant was made with kale, spinach, cucumber and apple, and the What’s Up Doc was made with carrot, ginger, apple, and orange. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either. They’re pricey at $8 a glass, but it’s a full glass so you’re not getting any of that half ice half juice BS.

Their sharing plates all sounded really good so it took a while for us to decide, but we landed on the following to start: the Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon ($9 + $4 for the fish), the Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($10), and the Goat Cheese Bruschetta ($10). The sprouts were tender and flavorful – spiced with a cinnamon chipotle seasoning and tossed with apricots, cranberries, and pecans, they came with a side of ranch. They didn’t need the sauce, but who are we to turn down ranch? Ha.

The avocado toast was topped with queso fresco, radishes, pomegranate seeds, cilantro and basil oil on a rustic sourdough. This by itself was $9, but we decided to get smoked salmon on top for an additional $4 as mentioned previously. We love all things avocado so this was a home run for us. Plus, they got bonus points from us for jazzing our toast up with delish noms like pomegranate seeds! The basil oil was a really nice touch as well.

Last but not least, the Goat Cheese Bruschetta. The tomatoes were tossed in a pine-nut pesto and topped with balsamic drizzle and sunflower seeds. We really appreciated the fact that the cheese was plated separately – we liked having control over how much we put on our ciabatta. It wasn’t as beautiful as the avocado toast, but it was just as tasty!

For entrees we got four VERY different dishes to share: their Miso Glazed Salmon Salad ($18), their Fresh Komex Tacos with Shrimp ($14), their Chicken Pot Pie ($17), and their Pan Seared Scallops ($19). All were really good in their own right, but we definitely had our favorites.

As you can see, the Chicken Pot Pie was deconstructed. We were surprised because were expecting a more traditional preparation but had zero complaints whatsoever once we had a taste. This dish was made with cremini mushrooms, basil, butternut squash, peas, corn, scallions, tarragon and topped with a flaky buttery crust. The squash was a lovely but unexpected addition. It kind of sucks for other restaurants though because now we’re gonna want to demand butternut squash in all of our pot pies. #JustSayin

Our bomb waiter, Eduardo, recommended the Miso Glazed Salmon Salad so we obviously had to give it a try. Made with greens, quinoa, carrots, scallions, pomegranate seeds, peanuts, edamame, cucumbers, sesame seeds, and topped with a spicy lime cilantro peanut dressing. Hands down, one of THE most amazing salads we’ve ever had, and the fish was SO damn fresh – both fresh AND phresh, ha. If you’re not a fan of salmon, you can get their Ahi Tuna instead for no additional charge.

Next up, their Pan Seared Scallops. These babies were cooked in a lemon garlic sauce and served with wilted spinach, feta, and cilantro. They were accompanied by cauliflower mash and mixed veggies. This plate was yum, but it definitely wasn’t our favorite. Our favorite was, *drum roll, please*…

…the Fresh Komex Tacos. Holy freaking crap, guys! These were stupid good. Three corn tortillas with cremini mushrooms, korean gochujang sauce, avocado, and pickled ginger, topped with daikon radish, peanuts, and cilantro? ERMERGERD, YASSSSS. We seriously can’t get over how delish it all was, and it was really reasonably priced, too. Add $3 to the $10 express lunch price for chicken or mushrooms (to keep it vegan, of course) or $4 for the shrimp. Eduardo recommended the latter, and we’re SO grateful – definitely ask for him when you go visit Silver.

We were totally stuffed from our meal, but when we saw made to order Apple Beignets listed on their dessert menu, we made space. See that goodness on top of our magical apple-stuffed mini-doughnuts? That’s hazelnut powder, cinnamon sugar, and caramel drizzle. So much yum in one photo! We still can’t handle it! We added vanilla ice cream for an additional $2, and it was such a good call because, let’s be real, ice cream makes everything better. BTW, that dipping sauce is honey thyme butter [insert big thumbs up].

Conclusion: We love Silver, and we hope Silver loves us. Ask for Eduardo because he’s the bees knees. Get their Fresh Komex Tacos because they are dope AF. If you want salad, go for their Miso Grilled Salmon. Andddd end your meal on a seriously sweet note with their freshly made Apple Beignets. Upscale diners FTW!